The real problem is that there's a ton of misinformation floating about. Our knowledge
of the death toll was radically transformed by a series of studies published between 1977
and 1981, studies which opened up new realms of data for historians. Unfortunately, many
non-academic writers don't know about this new evidence. They continue to use out-dated,
sensational figures, rather than ones based on solid evidence.

The following pages will explain more about the death toll in various regions, and the
reasons why popular estimates of the death toll are so much higher than scholars'
estimates.